Car-coupling.



` No. 644,820. Patented Mar. 6, i900.

T. M. GALLAGHER.

GAB COUPLING.

licatio (App n filed June 22, 1899.)

(No Model.)

" .I ffm N souri, have invente Srnrns PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS M. GALLAGHER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE SHICKLE, HARRISON d: HOWARD IRON COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

OAR-COUPLl-NG.

srncrricnrlon' forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,820, dated March e, 1900.

Application tiled June 22, 1899. Serial No. 721,424. (No model.)

To all whom t may conceive.-

Be it known that LTHOMs M. GALLAGHER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Miscertain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

I have shown my invention applied to a pilot car-coupler such as is to be found set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 522,299, issued July 3, 1894., to Pulaski Leeds and Angus Sinclair. The improvement may, however, be applied to a coupler for connecting the cars of a train together.

l Myinvention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a side 'elevation o'f a car-coupler embodying my improvement. Fig. II is a horizontal longitudinal section taken on line II II, Fig. I. Fig. III is a detail side View showing the outer end of the shank of the coupler.

l represents the shank of the coupler, and 2 the head.

3 is the coupling nose or knuckle, which for pilot-couplers is, as shown 'in the drawings, formed in one part with the head. In a coupler for connecting cars the knuckle is usually made in a separate piece from the draw-bar or shank and connected thereto by a vertical pin, upon which it swings in opening and closing. kinds of couplers that a lateral strain is exerted on the heads of the couplers when the train is passing over a curve in the track, for the lateral-swing play of the shank is necessarily quite limited. To obviate this strain is the object of my invention, and to this end I form the head and shank in separate parts or pieces and pivot them together, and to keep the head normally in line with 'the shank I employ springs arranged to serve this function. As shown in the drawings, the head is The It is the case with both of theseopening in the neck of the head is somewhat larger, as shown in Fig. II, than the end' of the shank, so that the head can swing laterally as the train passes overa curve in the track without coming in contact with the end of the shank. The extremity of the end 5 is perforated at 7 for the passage of a bolt S, that passes also through caps 9, seated against the head 2.

lO represents springs locatedbetween the end 5 of the shank and the caps 9 and which act to keep the head 2 when not under strain in line with the shank of the coupler, vthus avoiding any rattling of the parts as well as keeping the head in proper coupling position.

The end 5 is chambered out at 5a to receive the inner ends of the springs, while the outer ends of the springs iit in the bore 2ad of' the head, through which the bolt 8 passes, this arrangement permitting the use of long springs, that allow for the free movement of the head.

By the use of my improvement the head is permitted to swing laterally with relation to the shank when the train is rounding a curve in the track, and thus the strain referred to is avoided.

By making the neck of the head hollow to receive the shank the latter can be made solid and therefore smaller than if it were made hollow to receive the neck on the head, and the springs are permitted to be located in the head,which is comparatively much wider than the shank, so that springs of considerable length may be used, which have more frecdom of action than short springs.

I claim as my inventionl. In a car-coupler, the combination of a shank, a head having a hollow neck to receive the out-er end of the shank, a pin connecting the head to the shank, and springs located in the head and interposed between the head and the shank for keeping the former normally in line with the latter, substantially as set forth.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination of a shank having a reduced outer end, a head having a hollow neck that receives the reduced outer end of the shank, a pin connecting the head to the shank, a bolt passing through the end of the shank and through caps seated against the head, and springs surrounding said. bolt and located between the IOO end ofthe shank and said caps, substantially as set forth.

In a car-coupler, the combination of a shank, ahead having a hollow neck t0 receive the end of the shank, a pin connecting the head to the shank, a bolt passing through a hole in the end of the shank and through a bore in the head, caps seated against the head and through which said bolt passes, and

springs surrounding said bolt and fitting ai 1o their outer ends in the bore in the head and at their inner ends in chambers formed in the end of the shank, substantially as set forth.

THOMAS M. GALLAGHER. 'In -presence ofm E. S. KNIGHT, N. V. ALEXANDER. 

